Marcos Dawson

Marcos Dawson is a proud representative of The Bronx, NY who at the tender age of 15 was diagnosed with kidney disease and began dialysis. Presently, he is a transplant recipient for the 3rd time. In the years between dialysis treatments and kidney transplants, he was able to obtain a myriadof accomplishments.

At the age of 19 Marcos began working for The United States Postal Service. By the age of 23, he decided to get into the medical field and attended Mandl School: College of Allied Health. There he obtained his certificate as a Medical Assistant and began working with an ophthalmologist.

Becoming bored with his position, in 1999 he attended Bronx Community College and received his Hemodialysis Technician certificate. He began his internship at Mount Sinai Hospital and soon after started his permanent position at Brooklyn Hospital’s Rockwell Dialysis Center.

For him, the best part of being a tech was helping people who were going through the same thing that he was. During this time Marcos was still receiving dialysis; dialyzing early in the morning, resting then starting work in the afternoon. Six months into his position he was called for his 3rd kidney transplant. After a brief hiatus Marcos went back to work where he performed his job diligently.

Marcos worked as a dialysis tech not only to {just} get the job done, but he inspired patients. His respectful demeaner, his jokes and smile made him a source of comfort and a favorite among many patients. After 141/2 years as a tech, in 2014 Marcos retired from his position due to medical issues.

Today Marcos, while not on dialysis is back on the transplant list waiting for his 4 th kidney. In 2017 he joined For Kidney’s Sake Inc. because it would give him a platform to speak to other patients about his experiences, inspire them and to let them know to never give up and that dialysis is not the end of life. It would be his way of giving back.

In the future Marcos hopes to go back to school to become an x-ray technician or an anesthesiologist.

"Dialysis is/was just a part of my life. It was survival. It’s just what I had to do to stay alive."